KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After clinching the top spot in the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament, Concordia was rewarded with 581 total votes to move up one spot to No. 4 in the sixth edition of the NAIA Softball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday.

Concordia (29-3, 18-2 CCC) actually lost 13 votes from the previous poll, but moved up one spot for the second straight week. Concordia held down the No. 6 spot for three straight weeks after entering the top 25 at No. 8 on March 23.

The Cavaliers conclude the regular season by hosting Southern Oregon (15-21, 11-11 CCC) on Friday, April 30 and Oregon Tech (25-23, 12-10 CCC) on Sunday, May 2. Both teams will be battling for one of the two remaining spots in the CCC Championship which Concordia will host at Delta Park on April 7-8.

Corban (20-21, 12-8 CCC) currently resides in second place in the CCC standings and will face Northwest Christian (20-24, 10-12 CCC) in the season finale for both schools. NCU has an outside chance at qualifying for the Cascade Conference playoffs as they are now two games out of third place with two games to play, and could force a tie for the final playoff spot.

The tournament champion will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NAIA Championships, which are slated for May 20-26 in Decatur, Ala.

 

California Baptist remained the unanimous No. 1 with 23 first-place votes for 653 points, followed by No. 2 Lee (Tenn.). No. 3 Lubbock Christian (Texas), No. 4 Concordia (Ore.) and No. 5 Belhaven (Miss.).

Making large moves up in the poll were No. 10 Shorter (Ga.) and No. 7 California State-San Marcos. Shorter (42-12, 24-8 Southern States Athletic Conference) improved eight spots and is making its first showing in the top-10 this season, while California State-San Marcos (35-13) earned its highest ranking of the season.

After owning a top-10 ranking for the five previous polls, including two weeks at No. 3, Bethel (Ind.) went 3-3 last week and suffered by dropping 11 spots to No. 14. Also taking setbacks in the poll were No. 15 Brenau (Ga.) and No. 18 Saint Gregory's (Okla.), dropping four spots, and No. 21 Houston - Victoria (Texas) falling five.

 

With 18 teams that were ranked in the previous poll shifting position, the top-two teams remain consistent in California Baptist and Lee. The Lancers (54-2, 32-1 Golden State Athletic Conference) were dealt its second loss of the season on April 20, a 7-4 defeat at the hands of then-No. 13 California State-San Marcos. The loss snapped a 23-game winning streak dating back to March 16. Despite the loss, the Lancers spend their seventh week as the unanimous No. 1. Lee (51-4, 30-2 SSAC) has spent four weeks in the No. 2 slot. California Baptist and Lee are also the only two squads to obtain a 50-win season.

 

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences. The final poll will be announced May 4. Qualifiers for the NAIA Softball National Championship in Decatur, Ala., May 20 - 26, will be released May 10, followed by the pool-play schedule May 11.